Demolition Woman 2
by PhynxLegion
Summary: After the end of the battle against the demon, Kayla returns to have her baby, and live with her partner Faith. Set in the city of San Angeles. Faith/Other, Willow/Tara.
1. Chapter 1

**Demolition Woman 2**

**Chapter 1**

**March 18, 2033**

**San Angeles, (11:55PM)**

Helping Kayla into their apartment, Faith puts her bags at the door, and helps her out of her mud-soaked clothes. Acting overly protective she constantly holds her hand for support everywhere she goes. Amazed to have her walking around, after her lengthy period in a wheelchair, Faith can't help but linger on her every movement. Walking with her to the shower, she hangs out on the toilet as Kayla washes out months of dirt and grime. Explaining the adventures her and Alicia have had since they left, makes Faith slightly jealous and concerned. Using half a bottle of shampoo and body wash, she eventually finishes her shower and steps into the arms of her beautiful warrior. The shared minty taste of their lips shed the days away, and Faith lifts the naked Kayla into her arms and carriers her to bed.

Morning comes, and Kayla is the first to rise. After spending an inordinate amount of time on the toilet, Kayla finds her old robes and throws it on to take the chill off the morning air. Noticing her belly sticking out, she can only shake her head and overlook her preceding tummy. Looking at the time, she is surprised Faith is awake, and gently wakes her protector.

"Hey, sleepyhead. You going to play hooky today or are you actually going to work."

With a warm smile, Faith wipes the sleep out of her eyes and blinks furiously blinded by the morning's light. She sits up in bed, and rubs Kayla's back.

"Kayla, I took care of it last night after you fell asleep. I have about 6 weeks of leave saved up, and they let me take half of it all at once. So for the next 3 weeks, it's just about you. I'll still have to patrol, but you have a baby growing inside of you, and I need to be here for you. Lacey is making all the arrangements, and she'll call me later today with your dates. Now, are you prepared to fill me in on who the father is?"

Kayla smiles and kisses Faith with an intense passion.

"It's complicated, but this was a child given to me by no man. Do you remember the name of the slayer who was killed during the battle?"

Faith nods her head slowly.

"Yah, it was Katya. Why?"

Kayla slowly continues.

"Well, right before she died, she put her remaining essence and soul into my sword. It was the only way I could be resuscitated, and she knew that. That was supposed to be my fight, but you two did it in my place with my sword. My servant delivered the sword to me, and I was awoken to finish the fight here at the hospital."

Confused, Faith just shakes her head, rationalizing the story seeping into her ears.

"That doesn't explain your pregnancy."

Kayla snickers noticing how difficult her story is to digest.

"Accepting her essence and soul came with a price."

Kayla grabs Faith's hand and rubs it over her swollen belly.

"I had to give her back her life that she sacrificed for me, so…I'm now carrying baby Katya as payment for the gift she gave me."

Faith can't fathom the complexities of the magic and falls back to her limited high school education.

"Sweetie…how in the world is that even possible? You need to have a…"

Kayla cuts her off.

"Baby, it's called magic for a reason, a very old kind of magic. I lost my virginity in that damned mental ward, and I have never been with a man before or since. This baby inside of me is my payment for being alive and conscious right now. I stayed away so that no one could try and stop it, or abort it. Remember, it's illegal to get pregnant without a permit here? Well, I figured it was best I stayed away until there was no way they could abort her, and here I am."

Faith sighs, struggling to wrap her mind around magical conceptions and births.

"Girl, you have just opened my mind to something that I never imagined or could ever conceive of before. Spontaneous pregnancies…that sounds like it was straight out of the bible or something."

Kayla laughs heavily before replying.

"Babe…I don't know where to begin. This whole process is divine in nature. Only God could have truly have allowed the birth to occur, magic or not. He has like the final say in this holy kind of magic. If he didn't want Katya born in me, I wouldn't have gotten pregnant. Don't dwell on the specifics, just accept the facts. I'm pregnant with the previous slayer, and she will be born in a few months. And I don't think she has any parents more suited to raise her."

Kayla reaches over and hugs her slayer. Kissing and fondling each other, they lounge and play in bed until Lacey calls with Kayla's hospital appointments late that afternoon.

After an afternoon of scans, sonograms, poking, and physical exams, Kayla sits in the office of Dr. Priscilla Jeffery fully dressed and waiting for all the test results. Faith, pacing back and forth, passes Tara who glares at her to sit down. Gritting her teeth, she finds the chair and plops into it beside Kayla. Less than a minute later the tall middle-aged blonde enters and looks at the trio.

"Typically I prefer to discuss the results with the husband and wife, but considering everyone's credential I'll make an exception."

Kayla looks at her with mild animosity.

"Well considering there IS NO husband, Faith is my everything. Tara is my case advisor, so she'll have to be briefed anyways, so it makes sense to have everyone here at the same time to hear what you say."

With her humor drained, the doctor continues.

"Fine. The baby is in excellent health considering everything. She is entering her third trimester, and both of your blood works are good, except for some minor malnourishment for Kayla, it seems to have had no serious side-effects on the baby."

Tara clears her throat to speak.

"Kayla was living off the land in the wastelands, until she was able to get back to the city. I have instituted a diet plan to get her back to full health, plus a regiment of prenatal vitamins. She's lucky to even be alive."

She hands her an electronic data tablet with the lengthy detailed diet she orchestrated during their long wait. Faith tries not to laugh at Tara's speech, knowing too well how competent Kayla really is of defending herself. Unimpressed, the doctor hands it back to her and continues.

"When I find a mother who is unable to properly care for herself or the child, I normally order the separation of the two or hospitalize the mother until the baby is born. Fortunately for everyone here, that will not be necessary. It seems Kayla's circumstances led to her being unable to provide for them at a level we prefer to see, so confinement isn't necessary. With the diet plan, regular visits, and exercise, this baby will be born in good health. I'm assigning one of my young doctors to you, Dr. Sandra Kocher. She'll keep me abreast of your progress. Do you have any questions?"

Kayla eyes her skeptically.

"Why the continued interest? Just hand me off to your doctor, and bid me farewell."

Kayla watches her eyes drift momentarily around before she replies.

"I keep tabs on all my patients…I mean all patients in our department."

Kayla hesitates before ending the discussion and stands to leave. Eying the doctor suspiciously, Kayla motions towards the door.

"Faith, I'm ready to go home."

The trio rises and after Faith and Kayla have left Tara hesitates to stare intensely at the doctor.

"Do you have anything to tell me?"

The doctor only shrugs.

"Be well?"

The smug sarcasm in the doctor's voice tells Tara she has to call her department as soon as she gets free.

Kayla lounges on the couch in her favorite robe as Faith desperately tries to follow the recipe Tara provided. Refusing Kayla's help, she toils on and is rewarded with a meal which is far more edible than she imagined. Sitting at their table, they spend the entire evening alone retelling every moment they missed from the past five months. Remembering the conversation from the previous night, Faith gets the courage up to ask about a trivial piece of information Kayla mentioned.

"Sweetie, you mentioned you had a servant last night? What's up about that?"

Surprised with Faith's memory, she nods and tries to put it into simple terms.

"Well, she's a holy creature who chose to help me long ago. Like any willing aide, I don't call upon her for trivial matters. I respect she's been with me for a very long time, and she's told me that in my absence she's been keeping an eye on you. I knew you'd stay here, but she'd check in on you from time to time. She stole the sword from you that night, and brought it to me. I doubt I would have woken up if it weren't for her."

Faith can only shake her head, conceptualizing the story.

"Kayla just when I think I know everything about you, you rewrite the books."

She can only nod, and keep her meager smile.

"Well, you asked. I never imagined we'd have that battle in a thousand years."

Faith notices a weighty demeanor come over Kayla before she continues.

"Faith. That battle your friend...Buffy Summers…and the fight you and Katya fought was mine. Instead of being in prison, I was supposed to be at that fight and kill that demon. It was an ancient score, and it was my responsibility that I didn't fulfill. Your friend and Katya died needlessly, and because of me. I'm sorry, I was selfish. I can't make it up to Buffy, but I can at least make up for Katya's death by giving birth to her."

Faith thinks back and remembers Kayla turned herself in because of her, not the other way around.

"Listen you dummy! Your memory is becoming selective, because I remember you joining me in prison because of me, not the other way around. You weren't at that fight because of me, and if I weren't acting like the Queen of Chaos, you would never have had to turn yourself in with me. Second, you couldn't be at the second fight because some psycho trained his eyes on you, and nearly killed yah. I think you need to cut yourself a break and start living your own life."

Kayla can only shake her head.

"I…I wish it were that simple sweetie, but…"

Faith reaches over and squeezes Kayla's hand.

"It is that simple. You have no idea how much you have taught me; and by forcing me to stay in one spot this long, I have learned a great deal more. Give yourself more credit. A year ago, you were in a wheelchair with a speech impediment, now look at you."

Kayla nods and releases a slight stream of tears.

"It seems the master is becoming the student, I taught you too well."

She reaches out and pulls Faith into a passion soaked kiss.

"The second reason I came back was being pregnant has made me horny as hell."

Laughing the pair drift into the bedroom, leaving the dishes for later that night.

Tara screams in frustration as the video phone, or Fiber-op, cuts off. Willow cringes and comes out of their bedroom.

"I take it Rachel couldn't get anything from that doctor either."

Tara's face is boiling in anger.

"NO! And she's legally supposed to tell her everything regarding Kayla's pregnancy. This B…"

Gives her a chiding expression, stopping Tara from finishing her word.

"That _doctor_ is up to something and I'm not going to rest till I know what it is."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**March 29, 2033**

**San Angeles Police Department, ****(4:55PM)**

Kayla walks through the door of the police training rooms with Faith toting a heavy gym bag in her. She scans the gym and sees 20 officers stretching and caring on, and surmises it was her target. As she reaches them Alicia's familiar voices calls out to her and throws her arms around her.

"Kayla! I was wondering when you'd come back. My God! Has she actually grown more since I last saw you?"

Kayla hushes her and motions to drop the subject. The rapid growth of Katya wasn't something either Faith or Kayla had misses over the past week. She walks to the head of the class and looks it over. Trying to hide her disappointment, she sees only six familiar faces. Faith comes up behind her and notices her remorse seeing very few of the original class remaining.

"Yah, we only have these original members who survived the battle. Every one of them that died didn't go quietly or easily. They each made a difference thanks to you."

Kayla nods, knowing the truth of Faith's words. Losing over three-quarters of her class in one fight was difficult to swallow. Leading them in stretching, Kayla has Faith take her place amongst the class and they spend 15 minutes going through the slow katas before breaking up into individual teams led by the veterans and Faith. She's genuinely impressed with the survivors having never given up on their training, and personally speaks to everyone one during the afternoon session. Alicia notices several times during the class, Kayla steps away to have a drink and down an energy bar. By the end of the class she comes to her side and hugs her.

"So, that little girl is sucking you dry?"

Kayla can only nod with perspiration pouring down her face.

"She's doing what she was doing a couple of months ago?"

Kayla nods once again, and motions to keep quiet with her finger. As the class disperses, Alicia follows Faith and Kayla to the parking lot to their waiting minivan. Having returned the wheelchair van months ago, with Kayla's return it took them only a day to get a replacement van to accommodate her capacity to walk. As Faith loads up their gear, Kayla reaches over and gives Alicia a long hug and has secures the only privacy they can get in the city by whispering into Alicia's ear.

"Katya is growing very fast again. I think it's because of a good diet, but she's going to come earlier than nine months. She's very much aware of her surroundings."

As Kayla breaks the hug, she speaks normally to her good friend and protector for the previous five months.

"You should come by and have dinner with us some time. Faith is getting pretty good at not burning the food now."

Sharing a laugh at Faith's expense, Alicia nods and picks up the cues.

"Sure. How about Friday night? They still have me on desk and phone duty, so I'm not walking the beat just yet."

Faith agrees and ushers the exhausted Kayla into the van. Getting her home, she finds an excuse to help her in the shower and they let dinner time slip by until late. As Kayla naps from their post shower bliss, Faith cooks furiously and has Tara's dinner menu ready as Kayla stirs. After setting the table, she's surprised to find Kayla munching on a fruit bar to get going after her nap. Shaking her head, she helps her sit and scolds herself. Despite seeing her walking effortlessly for over a week, she still finds herself drawn to help her move around as she was before she left. Kayla brushes it off knowing it's a habit which she won't easily dispel. Smiling, she makes small talk about the training class and commends Faith for her diligence. She listens how the first few weeks after the battle were the hardest for everyone, as they struggled to deal with their losses. Faith tells of two survivors who no longer train.

"Helena and Gregory never came back, but if you're here now, maybe you can talk to them and see if they would be interested. They were really devastated with our losses, most were their oldest of friends. I think they only were into it because everyone else was. You know?"

Kayla nods as she enjoys the chicken and rice dinner Faith managed to put together perfectly.

"They were really adept too. I guess that's why they survived. I'll swing by their offices this week to say hi. Perhaps I can coax them back. It would be nice if they were there."

Faith surprises Kayla with a trip to Willow and Tara's for dessert, and they spend the evening reminiscing and discussing the developing baby. After Lacey measures Kayla's belly and takes a few noninvasive scans, she nods that her hunches were confirmed.

"She's growing 25 to 30 percent faster since you first got back. She was pretty much on track when you had your first appointment, but now…well she's growing faster than a weed. What have you been doing differently?"

Kayla mulls it over, but only shakes her head.

"Eating? When we were out there, we only ate about twice a day. At first, she grew like this, very fast very noticeable. After the first month, I had a serious baby bump. After that, when the food became scarce, she slowed. When food was plentiful she'd grow super-fast; but when it was little, she barely grew, which I know now is normal growth. I'm going to have some crazy stretch marks from this!"

Lacey confirms the numbers with Tara's computer before continuing.

"At this rate your due date has changed to almost a full month early, and that's if she goes full term! If she increases that rate any further…well it could get seriously dangerous for you. Right now she's stressing out your system and you're taking in 150% more calories than you're supposed to, and it's not making a dent on replenishing your reserves. Your sugar levels drop furiously and you're barely keeping up with her demands. If you get too weak, pop in some fruit immediately. Those energy bars are barely keeping her satiated. Right now her size and proportions are all normal, so it's not like she's getting fat inside of you, she's just developing at an accelerated rate. Just do your best, that's the only advice I can think of."

Tara sits closer on the couch before speaking, grabbing Kayla's full attention.

"Another thing, if your plate wasn't full enough. They still have a law on the books making having a baby and not married illegal. Many things are still taking too long to change here, so have you two thought about tying the knot yet?"

The surprised expressions on both of them, tells everyone in the room volumes. Willow fights from laughing and continues where her wife left off at.

"We think they might try and take Katya as soon as she is born. And by law, they could."

The anger and fear in Kayla's eyes rush Tara to calm her immediately.

"Whoa! Whoa sweetie! That's just can, not will…at least we hope not. This is why we are discussing this with you two right now. If you two are legally married, they have very little ground to stand on to take her. I'm just trying to eliminate the possibility of them pursuing that avenue, that's all. Marriage, union, or whatever you call means you two are in an official stable relationship and can present a "proper environment" to raise a child according to the state and federal law. This was never an issue when you two went into the freezer, but now…well its complicated. Willow and I tied the knot right before they gave us full custody of Lacey."

Willow nods dramatically and chimes in.

"And those were really crazy times too! All these social order laws were being pushed through on a daily basis, and we jumped in right away to give gay couples a voice in the process. There was talk we would be excluded from entire process, but money speaks louder than one's sexual orientation. Mayor Cocteau fought vigorously against any LGBT involvement in government, but he had to buckle to pressure. In time his laws made intimacy illegal, but we resisted…at least under covers."

Lacey and Faith roll their eyes in unison as Tara and Willow share a smile and hug. Kayla, still fuming over the idea of losing Katya to the state, shrugs off the cute moment in front of her.

"Listen, I won't let them take her. I have no doubt she'll be born with slayer powers, so they can't raise her like Faith and I can."

She sees the change in tone in the room from her words. Faith's expression goes from tense, to concerned, to finally confusion with Kayla's statement.

"Whoa! What? How is that even possible? When she died, didn't another slayer come into her own right? I mean I'd love to raise a girl who could understand where her two moms were coming from, but a slayer too? How can you know that?"

Kayla glances over at the globe glowing at the dinner table. Exuding a green and red pulsing and undulating light like a small lava lamp, its persistent glow assures them their private conversation was still being kept a secret.

"I don't just have her soul inside one of my eggs which is developing into a baby. I have Katya growing inside of me, who overwrote all my genetic information for hers. I'm basically a surrogate mother here. That's why I didn't need a man to get pregnant, it magically did it all for her, and she's just borrowing my womb. For all intents and purposes, she'll have no relation to me, other than I gave birth to her; not by blood or genetics. There is a chance she might share some miniscule genetic bonds, but basically this will be Katya to include who she was before she died…thus slayer!"

Lacey, who had been keeping quiet, exhales softly as she speaks.

"My god…three slayers running around! Evil thought it had it bad with two, but three now? What's the chances of more?"

Willow shakes her head and hesitates before commenting.

"Alticia and a few later researchers once theorized, if we could discover the source of the slayer, we could release the restriction on just one slayer at a time. She never imagined or saw two slayers to say the last three at once. If there could be more than one, then one must ask how many can we have at once?"

Faith, blown away by the idea mutters her thoughts.

"An army of slayers…that would give us a fighting chance against all the evil of the world…we could make a difference. Couldn't we?"

Kayla, unaware that Faith had directed her question more to her than anyone else, shakes off the memory of Alticia and her lengthy conversation regarding the origins of the slayer.

"You think I'm a tough bitch training you? Just imagine if I had to teach dozens of you at once."

Faiths chuckles uncontrollably.

"I'd hate to be around you afterwards. Then again, I'd be good for stress relief."

Dragging Kayla out of deep reflection, she smiles brightly and kisses Faith passionately. Taking her hand in hers, she returns to the dilemma still surrounding her.

"Let Faith and I discuss the 'M' word in private. I don't want to pressure her to commit to something like this without her having some time to really think about it, and the consequences in her own rate and time. It's a big step for us."

Faith, wanting to step forward and announce to everyone "yes," finds she's hesitant to reply. Hearing Kayla's words, she nods and agrees with her white-haired lover.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**March, 31 2033**

**San Angeles Police Department, (1:25PM)**

Kayla strolls into the motor division of the SAPD and eyes suddenly settle onto her. As a tough looking man eyes her and stands, Kayla prepares for trouble. She only takes two steps into the garage before a firm hand settles onto her shoulder and spins her around. Gregory Hoehler easily towered over Kayla at six foot two inches, but he seemed to see the strength in her small demeanor. Though he had never once seen her walk or fight before, his natural instincts told him to give her a wide berth. Having heard the rumors of her return, he was still hesitant to believe anything without seeing it first. As he gently nudged the strange white-haired woman around to face him, he was still genuinely surprised it was his old martial arts teacher standing before him. Instincts kick in and he bows respectfully, and Kayla returns the gesture. Taking her to his office, he makes a place for her to sit and gets filled in on her absence. Setting down her backpack of snacks, juice, and water, she fishes out her water bottle and an apple. Hearing her incredible journey, he can hardly imagine surviving out in the wilderness for so long. As she starts to try and not explain out her pregnancy, Helena Carter pushes open the glass door of the office and smiles seeing their old teacher. She can't contain her surprise seeing her pregnant belly. Seeing no choice but to construct a plausible story, Kayla begins.

"Faith and I had been trying to keep it a secret before my coma, and when all hell broke loose, I guess I blacked out. I didn't regain my wits until sometime later out in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately Alicia was there to protect me. I owe her so much."

From behind her, a familiar heavy voice interjects as she finishes her story.

"That's some story Ms. Meadows. Any chance you have time to talk with me this afternoon?"

Kayla turns slowly to find Officer John Spartan standing in the doorway wearing his typical sarcastic grin.

"Perhaps. I was here to try and twist the arms of my old students here to return to my class tomorrow. Any chance I can convince you to step up and try out for my next class? I heard that some of those things you fought used a lot of martial arts against you in your fight. I could teach you a bit to level the field the next time you run into someone like that, could save your life."

He stops and seriously considers her offer after the past months of strangeness in the city after hours.

"How about we discuss it on the way to see Officer Huxley and me in my office?"

With a gentle smile, Kayla nods.

"Fair enough. So you two interested in coming back? I could use a pair of experienced assistants to help out with the large number of newbies I have. Faith and the others have their hands full. Apparently word has gotten out that I'm back and I'm supposed to have a boom in attendance tomorrow."

Kayla watches as they glance back and forth to each other before replying. Gregory lets out a heavy draught of air.

"I guess we can see what we can do with all these kids you're getting…seeing that you're pregnant and all."

Kayla smiles sarcastically and rises. Overdramatizing her heavy belly, she makes her way out of the office with the "Demolition Man." With the rolling eyes and chuckles resounding in her wake, she walks normally and bows to them. After thanking them, they take an elevator to the ground level offices. She decides to be the first break the stoic silence.

"I was serious about you joining my class officer. I can teach you and Officer Huxley quite a bit. You have all this pent up strength, but only military fighting skills to utilize it, quite poorly I might add. I could teach you Fu Jow Pai, Tiger Claw! It could really change your life if you let it. Lenina…I'd probably teach her crane."

Shaking his head, John sighs dramatically.

"Ms. Meadows…how in the world could you have ever learned Tiger Claw and Crane style Kung Fu?"

Smiling, Kayla chides him.

"This girl has her secrets she's not willing to share with anyone. You are not in the need to know department officer. Please, I'm serious! Come to my class and sit in for a few weeks. Really commit yourself to learning, and I can teach you and a few others some superior fighting techniques. Worst thing you will get out of it is soreness from stretching your body to limits you might of only have had since basic training. Tell me you weren't pushed to your limits in the battle for the hospital?"

Wearing down from Kayla's persistence, he nods in resignation.

"Yah…it was that bad here. Fine, I'll give you two weeks."

Kayla, seeing an opportunity, pushes back harder.

"No. Four! I need two weeks to prepare you for training, and then two of actual training. If after four weeks and you're dissatisfied, I'll never ask you again; but I need you to really try, not just show up!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, her agrees.

"You know that you're impossibly insatiable until you get your way?"

Wearing a wide grin, Kayla proudly replies as the elevator doors open to the bustle and roar of the crowded police station.

"Yup! Faith tells me that every night."

John suppresses his laugh having walked right into that remark. 

Leaving the SAPD building, Kayla steps into the van as Faith pulls up to get her. After driving away, Faith can't contain her displeasure for having to wait in the parking lot until she was done.

"Why again did you have me wait out here for three hours? I should have gone in and at least sat in during your debrief by John and Lenina."

Kayla reaches over and squeezes Faith's hand lovingly.

"Faith, sweetie, there are things which must be done by me alone. I can't always have my beautiful woman of dynamite who has a quarter inch long fuse sitting in on discussions which can be misconstrued too easily. I love you! I would scour the Earth to find you if you were lost, but you have no tongue for diplomacy. I am a big girl who can fight her own fights, and they need to see that so that they don't try and screw with me when you aren't around. They reinstated by parole for six more months, but will not have me come in for them. They will be at my training sessions, so they will talk to me then."

Faith, having gotten heated up by the parole extension, is surprised to learn of the new students.

"They? You got Officers Spartan and Huxley to come to your training sessions?"

Kayla, grinning proudly, nods in a long up and down motion.

"And I believe we will have a maxed out class tomorrow, so Greg and Helena will be there."

Stunned in disbelief, Faith tries to swallow the turn of events. Kayla fishes out her last orange and juice box from her bag and shakes her own head in disbelief and looks to Faith holding the last items from her bag.

"I'm taking in over 4500 calories a day and it's not making a dent on her demands. I've smeared enough coconut oil over my belly to make me dream that I'm a coconut tree, and I don't think these stretch marks will ever go away! The only thing going for me is that most of the calories I'm taking in are low to normal fat levels. What I'd do for a Big Mac right now. I could down a couple of those babies and that would hook Katya up at least for a few hours. These stupid energy bars they have here are only 60 calories a pop! That only buys me ten or fifteen minutes with her! And if I'm working out, forget that! I have to stop after 15 minutes to gobble down fruit or some sort of sugar food just to finish!"

Grasping Faith's hand, Kayla continues.

"Faith, honey? I don't want you to freak out or take this the wrong way, but Katya is talking to me in my sleep."

Faith gets wide-eyed and pulls over to park.

"What do you mean she's talking to you?"

Kayla tries to calm her slayer by grasping her hand tighter.

"It's not as bad as it sounds! Katya has a level of perception we don't have as material creatures. She's in danger from exterior forces, not us. This is why she's trying to grow as fast as she can so she can get out and get away from here. She believes people are listening to us in our apartment, and she suspects everyone other than us. This city heavily utilized surveillance and subterfuge, and she feels others are taking too much interest in our little miracle growing inside of me. I'm passing around a story suggesting that I got pregnant right before I went into a coma so we could have a small addition to our family, but that's still illegal under the current laws. She believes someone is going to try and take her using these laws, and she wants out of me."

Faith can't comprehend what Kayla is telling by any stretch of her imagination. She putters around mentally before finally replying.

"How is any of this possible? This is insane! You can't have me believe that…"

She can't finish her sentence. Not that Kayla interrupted her, but her own thoughts seem to counter the words spewing forth. She was a vampire slayer since the previous slayer Kendra died, and she fought and killed a super demon less than a year ago. The expression she now wore told Kayla she didn't have to respond to Faith's previous statement.

"Okay. She's telling you she's not safe, what can we do to calm her down?"

Kayla gives the look she'd been dreading from two nights prior. Faith looks out at the bustling city, oblivious to her dilemma. The concept of love and marriage was a concept no slayer truly ever had the luxury of embracing. She knew of no book which described a slayer living beyond her twenties, to say the least falling in love and raising a family. She realized death was a constant companion for a slayer, either dealing it out or eventually receiving it. By believing it was possible, likened to a fish simply believing he could simply will his fins into legs and magically develops lungs to breathe air. A concept of pure fantasy and daydreams, yet here was Faith grappling with the very dilemma every slayer dreamt of.

"Will it make that much of a difference if we did?"

Kayla can't hide her frustration, and she slams her fist on the dash.

"Faith! This has nothing to do with Katya now! If you marry me, you must decide if you want to spend your entire life with me, not just for some other reason! I know you're a slayer and you're approaching the standard life expectancy. If some weird fluke of nature happens and you live to be a ripe and old age of 90, do you want to spend it with me? If Katya is born, that would make 3 slayers running around in this world, thereby increasing your chances for a longer life. When you were put into stasis, another slayer rose in your place. So when Katya died, another slayer rose in her place. Instead of some stranger training her after some day in which it becomes obvious she's a slayer, we can train her from birth. I want to spend my life with the woman who is everything to me, and feels the same about me. I hope that's you, because I'm banking on it right now. If not, then you better tell me now. I understand and know all about your background and who you were, but if you want to live that carefree for the rest of your life, then I won't be a part of it. Katya and I need someone who's willing to devote and risk everything to making a family life work, not running when the times get tough or confusing."

Faith lays her head on the steering wheel, torn with flight and the pull of her heart strings. Tears stream form her eyes, as she can't get her mouth to work right. Some darkness in her demands she says no and run for the hills, while the opposite shade reminds her that Kayla could be the one. Lifting her head up, her mouth formulates the word no, but instead blubbers incoherently.

"N…I'm…afraid."

Throwing her fists against the wheel, she fights the wolf inside of her demanding to head for the hills.

"I want…I need to say yes, but I'm afraid Kayla. You're the first person I've ever admitted my weakness to."

Kayla's tears dribble down, unsure of what her lover will end up telling her.

"Faith, this is a decision you must make all on your own. What you say now you'll have to live with for the rest of your life, good or bad."

Trembling, Faith rests her head on the steering wheel far longer Kayla could ever imagine. The pair sit parked idly as people casually wander past ignorant of the lives dangling on the precipice of salvation and damnation.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**April 3, 2033**

**San Angeles (8:27Am)**

Their Sunday morning was explosively busy from the moment they woke. After staying up most of the night browsing wedding attire with Willow, Tara, and Lacey they were beat. Katya was driving Kayla's needs for breakfast and they couldn't sleep in as they'd like. Lacey, after taking some more measurements, was still dumbfounded by the accelerated growth the baby exhibited and insisted on daily checks whenever she could corral Kayla away from her mothers. With her next appointment due this week, Kayla wasn't looking forward to additional prodding. With the last of the official marriage paperwork in stone, Faith would spend her last week off filing the licenses with the city. It took a favor from a city worker who owed Faith after she was attacked by a vampire, and not to mention the footwork to get four medical officers to sign off on their blood work in advance. It was made easier because both Kayla and Faith had their samples on file within the past year, but the usual 18 month waiting period had to be waived. Tara had a great deal to do with that process, as her name carried great weight within the city and health community. She never said how many favors she called in, but Kayla knew "thank you" wasn't enough.

All during the process, Tara discovered the head of the Maternity Department had secretly and overtly tried to force every doctor and official to deny their request. With no private doctors to turn to, she had to file numerous official injunctions against Doctor Jeffery, who eventually withdrew her objections after pressure from the City Medical Board, which Tara had been directly involved with for half her career. The allies and contacts she gained expedited the execution of both her official and unofficial work in the Social Care Department for years. Despite being unofficially retired, she continued to speak and advise at least monthly. With the request for a speedy gay marriage easier to execute than a regular one, mostly due to the lack of prenatal lab work for the two of them, Tara could push the request through in one day, even on a Friday afternoon. Though she'd been filing the paperwork since the Monday prior, it wasn't until she got the definitive word when she requested all the official signatures. With all the gears greased, it happened so fast, Doctor Jeffery didn't have enough clout to slow down something which was preapproved. She had also learned that Police Chief Earle had gone to bat for the pair and it practically put the sinister Dr. Jeffery in her place when she claimed Kayla lacked the moral character to raise a child. In the end, her efforts had resulted in her loss of face and a bitterly bruised ego.

Meeting Willow for lunch, Tara crashes into her chair and exhales loudly.

"You'd think after all this time, they would find it common place for two women to request a marriage certificate, even here in San Angeles."

Without replying, Willow orders a pair of coffees and squeezes her wife's hand.

"Sweetie, this is still just 2033. We can't expect miracles overnight. Heck! I still can't practice magic in public…well at least without anyone stopping and gaping."

Tara, staring at the ceiling in frustration, she pulls her head forward wearing a quizzical expression.

"That reminds me. Did you ever pay that fine for disturbing the peace with your ball of sunshine you did back in December?"

She shakes her head.

"Nope. Got it dismissed. The officer for some reason forgot all about the incident, and couldn't testify against me."

Tara puts on a seriously annoyed glare at her little redhead.

"Willow Rosenberg! You had better stop doing that! You know how karma can catch up with you for doing that. It's just not right!"

Defensively Willow lowers her head in embarrassment.

"I restored it a month later, just as soon as I could. Besides, he was very rude to me for the entire thing! I should have let that slutty vamp bite him. I don't know why you are so against that kind of magic."

Tara sits upright in her chair, to bear down on her companion across from her.

"Willow! I mean it! No messing around with people's memory for any reason! I don't know why I feel so strongly about it. I just do! Why can't you just leave that magic alone…for ME! I'm not going to ask you again, so you better listen to me. God! You can be as stubborn as Lacey!"

Willow, surprised, apologetically agrees and tries to steer the conversation towards anything else.

"I found a nice place to have the ceremony. It's not far from Museum district."

Tara, still fuming, tries to dismiss her anger and its source. Many things in her life defy reason, and she has become accustomed to moving with the tide like instinct, rather than conscious thought.

"Oh? I think I know the place. Wasn't Kayla and Faith going to hold off on the ceremony until after Katya is born?"

Willow nods.

"Yah, but I thought it would be nice to have them at least speak the words to make it official."

Tara chews on the thought for a few minutes and sees the logic lubricating the gears in her wife's head.

"Let's talk to them and see how it goes over with them. I know Faith is still really nervous about all this. If you had asked me if she'd ever tie herself down when I met her ages ago, I would have absolutely disagreed."

Willow reflects and nods strongly in agreement.

"Seeing Faith in the good guy role still blows my mind!"

Tara immediately throws in a reply without hesitation.

"I know! But it's in a good way though!"

Willow continues to nod in agreement without replying.

"I wish I really knew more about Kayla though. I get the impression there's a story there, but she really doesn't want to reveal too much about herself."

Willow finds the breath to sneak in a bit of knowledge she had uncovered.

"Her mother died when she was only 14 and she has no other family. Oh! And she's super smart! I was able to access her SATs before she went into hiding, and she blew away my scores from back then. It's just a shame she couldn't go to college. She has great potential, and I was able to access her reeducation program from the back up database of the cryo-prison. She was to be a physical trainer, but her disability nullified that program. Now that she's completely mobile, I guess she's perfectly suited for the work she's doing now. The program taught her massage techniques, yoga, acupressure, and basic nutrition."

Tara absorbs Willow's words.

"I never cared for that program either, messing with people by implanting training directly while they sleep. It was entirely unethical, I don't care if it was legal or not. Cocteau was a maniacal little dictator. I can't say I'm sorry he's gone. If he had his way, we would have been kicked out of here long ago."

Willow nods and is drawn to a long buried memory.

"He reminded me of Principle Snyder, from Sunnydale high school. I really disliked him. I don't think he liked anyone at the school, and he didn't care if we knew it. Very sad, I guess."

Tara can think of nothing to follow her wife's word's, and the two meander back to discussing wedding clothes and locations until they make their way back to their apartment that afternoon.

Kayla had been looking forward to getting out onto the town that evening with Faith. Since she'd regained the use of her legs, she hadn't been on a date with Faith or spent an evening out of their apartment. With Faith due to return to work in a few days, she twisted her arm to finally take her out. Hanging on her like a schoolgirl, Kayla loved the feel of Faith's muscles and physique; not too much muscle and not much of anything else to get in their way. With Katya kicking her occasionally, she had become accustomed to mild pains and punches from the slayer inside of her, and she had to chide the infant to calm down far too often. Sitting in a booth with Faith, they held hands and sifted through the notes Willow and Tara sent them regarding wedding clothes. Faith, fearsome of wearing a dress or gown, settled on a traditional pant and jacket combination, while Kayla wanted to go all out on a dress after Katya was born. As they finish their quiet dinner, they find themselves muted with appreciation for each other's company. Since Kayla had returned they had spent nearly every second in conversation or maniacal sex; and now they finally found that calmness of simply holding the other's hand to be satiating enough. Kayla remembered this moment in the future as the moment which Faith had finally come to peace with getting married, while Faith would say it was the calm before the storm.

As they walked to the door, a sudden crash sent patrons scurrying out of the way of an old man stumbling towards them. Bloody and panting, he babbles incoherently and collapses before Faith's feet. Instinctively, Faith drops and assesses his wounds and notices dozens of deep animal bites and gaping cuts covering him. As she screams for someone to call an ambulance, she grabs several cloth napkins to staunch the blood loss. Noticing he's a Native American in his late years, Faith tries to calm him with no effect. Speaking in a bizarre language, people can't understand anything he says, making communication impossible. A young man, not much younger than Faith, pushes through the crowd and desperately tries to get the man to calm down.

"Grandfather! Please calm down and speak English, we don't understand Lakota! Who did this to you?"

Frantic and scared, he continues to scream in his native tongue, heightening the anxiety of the room. Trying to temper her slayer strength, she fights against accidentally hurting the frail old man. As she uses more and more of her strength, he suddenly becomes quiet and still. Anxiety screams through her expecting to discover he had expired, instead she's shocked to see him staring in a combination of fear and joy. Following his eyes, she sees Kayla standing at his feet wearing a serene and calming expression.

Faith can't look away either, but finds the strength to break her hypnotic glare. As she binds his wounds he finally resumes speaking calmly in his native tongue to Kayla. Faith's heart skips a beat when Kayla replies in his language, and they talk continuously as he's held to this world by Faith's caring hands. Only after paramedics arrive, do they stop and Kayla leaves his side to join her in the washroom as she washes off the blood. Faith stares at her in a mixture of amazement, fear, and frustration. Kayla seems to read her properly and speaks before Faith gets any angrier.

"I bet you have a bunch of questions huh? I get you're hurt a bit, but the reality of who and what I am is a bit complicated, as it is if you were to try and explain that you are a slayer. Are you there or are you just going to brood at me?"

Processing Kayla last words, Faith nods grudgingly.

"Yah. Let's talk about it later, okay?"

With a heavy sigh, Kayla smiles and continues.

"You got it. He spoke of something called a Coku Mani, or a Skin-Walker. I'm not familiar with their legends but he claimed it had tried to kill him but he escaped. We need to get Willow and Tara involved in the research behind this thing. I feel this is only the beginning of our troubles."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**April 3, 2033**

**San Angeles (9:17pm)**

Checking the privacy totem once more, Kayla nervously sits down and clutches at Faith's hands, unable to find a starting place. With Willow and Tara sitting in the couch in front of her, she finds it difficult to look any of her new friends in their eyes. Taking a deep breath, Kayla squeezes Faith's hands once more and begins.

"First off, I'm not like a slayer. Second, I'm not immortal. I am born and die just like the next person. My uniqueness comes about when I die and I'm reborn sometime later. At this time, I'm not at liberty to discuss the details, but my memory goes back a long time."

Willow leans forward to speak.

"How long? Decades? Centuries?"

Tara studies Kayla's face as she mulls over how to respond. Her response puts the two women back into their seats.

"I remember the night when Troy fell. The wind was blowing ever so slightly, and it was a clear sky with a new moon. And when the Sumerian civilization fell to the Akkadian Empire, I was on a small ship heading across the Atlantic Ocean to what we now call South America."

Willow sees the glossy expression on Faith and Tara and momentarily leans into the conversation.

"Sumerians…that's about 2200 BC, well over 4000 years ago."

Kayla simply nods in approval and continues.

"I have spent the majority of my life disassociating and preventing any connection between the Child of Light and the fabled Vampire Slayer. Only once before have I teamed up with the Slayer a few thousand years ago in Kauai, when we killed a full demon. I joined the fight after it started; and together we lured him into the middle of an erupting volcano. We never exchanged names or conversed, but my help in that fight was never known or repeated. I fight the big fights that a meager half-demon and human slayer can't win, and trust me I've stayed busy for all that time. I even know of demi-gods who walk the earth that try to avoid me. I don't tolerate the presence of true evil, but there are some demons that learned that being evil 24/7 is not healthy."

Turning to Faith, she cups the strong woman's hands in hers and gathers her full attention.

"You are unique, Faith. I have never allowed myself to be made so vulnerable by love, and I have no regrets. With your love, I have been allowed for the first time since I have been born, to truly love unreservedly and not fear for your life. It's simply...amazing."

Faith numbly responds.

"So is your strength and abilities unique to your race or people?"

Kayla shakes her head as she replies.

"There are no others sweetie, just me. Just me for tens of thousands of years."

Willow sits back up after digesting Kayla's story.

"You arrived on the back of a motorcycle with a demon. Isn't that against what you were just saying?"

Tara believes she knows that answer, but let's Kayla explain in her own words.

"No. The majority of the creatures you call demons are only half-demons. Furthermore, those demons I do associate with recognize that I'm basically a sheriff. They screw up, I send them on to Hell. They play ball and help rather hinder human development, they don't get sent to Hell. Kambadora, like the horned ones I rode into town with, are devoted to my cause. They want to create and build, rather than tear down and ruin. I arranged the first worker's union between man and Kambadora over 5000 years ago. Without their knowledge, half of the structures man has been given credit for building would never have been possible. They have their ups and downs, and I occasionally have to shake up their leadership to put them back into line every few hundred years, but it's not that bad. Really!"

Tara mulls over the breadth of her story and tries to think of questions which might stir up more questions.

"You're having this baby now. This means you can only get pregnant by magical means?"

Kayla only takes a second to respond.

"No. I can get pregnant by any human or such. I have a human anatomy, and everything that comes with it."

Kayla then spends a minute to consider revealing her largest, most private secret.

"I had a child a long time ago, Meliora. I was raped during an attack by the Spartans. It took four of them to hold me down, and when the first man was done, and the next bastard tried to take his turn, I got loose and slaughtered them all. I never held her responsible for what happened to me, and I loved her with all my heart. She went on and had six children of her own, and I attended her funeral when she died at the age of 54. After that, I perfected magic to inhibit pregnancy or to stop it as soon as the situation occurred. I never wanted to outlive my child again, but I know that will probably always happen. Katya will be different, as she's not really mine and she's a Vampire Slayer. Death is a job requirement it seems. I say that, but I'm quite aware if I raise her, I'll love her nonetheless as I did Mel. Faith, I need to ensure you're in this for the long haul. I don't do anything half-ass; and if I actually say 'I do' I mean it! You're the only one for me, and only Death can part us. It won't be easy raising a Vampire Slayer from the moment she's born, and it takes one to know one. So, after all this, are we still on for next week's ceremony, or are we on-hold?"

Faith jumps out of her chair and paces the room. Digesting everything Kayla had fed her was far from easy. Clutching her head and staring at the ceiling, she scoops up a large draught of air before replying.

"Kay…I…I imagined you telling me a thousand different things tonight, and nothing came close to the truth. I always knew you were special, but I never even came close to what you just said. I get the long deception for who you really are. I'd have done the same, for the same reasons, so I have no problem with any of that. And I don't mind the older/younger relationship thing either, but Damn! I only imagined a few years ahead of me, not thousands of years. That's a lot girl! But you're not a demon, and you're not evil, so what's a girl not to like about this? Yah, I think we're still on for next Saturday afternoon. Every way I add it up, and math isn't one of my strongest of skills, you're still a keeper."

The light finally gets to full brightness inside Willow's head.

"Oh my GOD! You're the same Child of Light that Demon feared back when Buffy was killed!"

Kayla smiles slightly seeing the brightness shooting out from her eyes.

"Yah, that would have been me. The demon you fought was a true demon, and you see why I don't get involved in these minor battles the slayer gets into daily. Instead of being there, I was tucked away in prison with Faith keeping the gangs from taking advantage of her temporary weakness. When I'm truly at my weakest, there's this horrible odor thing that I exude that drives away demons. They can't stand coming any closer than half a mile. Humans can't smell it, but dogs, cats and demons can. It's a living hell to even come within 50 feet of me. That damn demon seed shut it off, so once it was gone, my system took forever to recover."

Tara takes a sudden draught of air and smiles in the knowledge that the wedding is still on.

"So what kind of theme are you two going for?"

**April 4, 2033**

**San Angeles (3:45am)**

Sitting back in their chairs sipping at their cups of steaming tea, Willow and Tara point towards the table covered in open books. Willow is the first to finish sipping.

"There are just too many opinions on what exactly this skin walker is. Some say it's just a shape-shifter like a werewolf, while others say it's a clawed demonic killer that can take on whatever shape it wants."

Tara continues without missing a beat.

"And even another, Navajo, says it's an evil witch that can turn itself into any animal it wishes. All Indian legends have different names for this kind of thing, each subtly different than the next. We have no idea how to deal with it. This could be a demon, or this could be an ancient type of dark magic."

Faith, returning from her patrol sits in the opposite couch alongside the sleeping Kayla. Slipping off her boots, she rubs her feet and lies back.

"So, you got nothing for me…right?"

Willow glances at Tara and shrugs.

"Pretty much."

Faith shakes her head and pushes a lock of Kayla's hair off her nose.

"Well I found nothing out there. I got no leads, no attacks, or anything to go off of. I staked a pair of vamps fresh out of the ground, and I ran into a ghoul who was setting up shop in the cemetery. I told him to keep it clean, and not to draw any attention to his feedings, and I wouldn't have to kick him out. In return he offered to keep an eye out for suspicious characters hanging out in his territory and would report back to me just after sundown if it sees anything funny."

Faith outlines the edge of Kayla's face and laughs to herself.

"I never imagined me cutting deals with monsters just to keep the peace…"

Willow interjects immediately as if she was reading her friend's mind.

"Like Buffy did? She crossed the lines of good and evil to get the job done. That stupid Watcher's Council was more a hindrance than help in those days. Heck Angel was able to enforce the peace for a while, but Buffy was the force behind it. I think this is something a Slayer does when they live longer than a couple of years. You sort the not so bad from the horribly evil, and force everyone to coexist. You need a buffer from the evil which evil does, and the smart demons learn to play ball in order to keep from starving or being killed."

Tara sees a glimmer or image of an idea in her mind and quickly vocalizes it.

"Perhaps you should become what Kayla says she does. You be the Sheriff of San Angeles, and be seen as the keeper of the peace between humans and demons. Make yourself available to hear disputes and fix their problems in their world, so that it doesn't affect the one out here. If you did, perhaps when trouble rolls into town, the underworld would be less hesitant to get involved because all of them would feel the repercussions of inaction. Maybe you should even see about getting a few of the strongest leaders of the demon world that live under the city to assume a deputy role and constructing laws for the rest to abide by?"

Faith fights from laughing hysterically.

"Now that's crazy talk, even for you two!"

Kayla's meek and sleepy voice slips into the conversation.

"No, it's not crazy. I tried it several times in my existence, and it works about 45% of the time. The longest period I had total peace and unity lasted for a 189 years, until World War 2 came along in Europe and fouled everything up. The entire period of revolutions, both in Europe and the Americas was due to man, not demonic influence. I made sure of that. If you Faith, the famed Bad-Girl Vampire Slayer brokers the deal, I think you'll have a better chance of it working. If I do it, they'll obey out of fear, not sincerity."

Willow steps up and extrapolates further.

"We have an unknown baddy who just moved into town. There's no doubt it will piss off the demon locals and they will want it gone as much as we do. Maybe it's just that simple?"

Faith can only shake her head, unsure of Willow's logic.

"I won't know Willow, it just seems too neat and tidy."

Kayla reaches over and rubs Faith's hand.

"Faith, sometimes it's just that way. You'll never know until you try, though. Demons are more diplomatic than you can believe, but they too are used to heroes like you just busting into their abodes and lairs and cracking skulls. They see you as a stereotypical good guy, and that's what you normally do right? Try something completely different. It might throw them completely off."

**April 5, 2033**

**San Angeles (7:08pm)**

Breathing heavily over the settling dust and the sound of mewing kittens, Faith picks up a knocked-over chair and sets it back under the poker table where it had once sat. Looking around the tussled room, she counts four unconscious demons and shakes her head. Grabbing the other chairs, she sets them back under the table and finds a spare in the corner of the room as kittens run amuck. Grabbing the biggest demon, she helps him into an upright position and lets him wake on his own. Groaning, he expects a thrashing and winces as Faith lets him go against the wall. Gingerly opening his good eye, he stares in amazement as Faith takes the chair, turns it around and straddles it to look at him. Faith shakes her head in disbelief. Her plan of talking had collapsed within 2 seconds of the door opening, and the demon threw the first punch. Reaching down to the floor, she scoops up a kitten as it passes under her and pets the innocent creature. The demon coughs up some blood and wipes his mouth of the evidence.

"What are you going to do now slayer, put the chair on my chest and crush me to death as I struggle to breathe?"

Faith rolls her eyes.

"As I was saying when I showed up, I just want to talk. Have you all seen anyone new walking around lately? I've heard of something called a skin-walker showing up topside and causing trouble, and I was wondering if you all had heard of it. That's all!"

The demon shakes his head immediately and painfully adjusts his sitting position.

"Nah. We see lots of newbies at the store, but nothing like that. When one of those shows up, we stay clear of them, and they steer clear of us. They are bad news, lots of bad mojo, you know?"

Chuckling, Faith shakes her head and sneers.

"Actually no, I don't know. I've never had the pleasure, or at least I don't think I have. They're shape-shifters, right? I doubt I'd have known I was talking to one."

The demon nods his head.

"Yah, I guess you wouldn't if it was only in passing, but they have a distinct smell: not animal and not human, something in between. It's revolting. So, that's it? Just wanted to ask about a skin-walker?"

Faith stays seated and shakes her head.

"Nope. I wanted to know who was in charge down here. I'm tired of coming down here cracking skulls and smashing up everything just to ask a simple question. I just ruined a perfectly good poker game for what? Just to ask you about a stinking skin-walker, come on? This is stupid. I heard you were up there on the demons to know list, and I had to beat you all up just to get some face time. Doesn't this strike you as unnecessary? A complete waste of time and effort? I want…no. I'd like to set up some sort of council or representative I can go to, so I don't have to beat down every door just to get information. I know the slayers in the past always beat you up for every piece of info they got from you all, but I want to change things. If we're going to live around each other, we need rules and some common ground to talk. It would be nice if I could go to a few of you for stuff, and let you all live your lives down here in peace."

Laughing the demon chuckles for a minute, realizes Faith's sincerity, and stops abruptly.

"You're serious. The peace never lasts, you know?"

Faith nods her head.

"I'm not laughing. Yah I heard that, but I also heard about the Brussels Accord, and it lasted until 1939. That was almost 200 years of peace between you and us. Yah, we'll have our occasional demon or vampire who enjoys stirring up trouble, but we can work on that. The majority of you guys don't feed on humans, and the ghouls and a few others are only interested in us until after we've been dead for a few days. I've already told them if they keep it quiet and discreet, I have no problems with that."

The Demon slowly stands and starts gathering kittens away from Faith as he thinks.

"Damn, you are serious about this. In those days, we self-governed. Are you going to allow that too?"

Faith, burying the grisly future of the kitten she was petting from her mind, puts it into the basket the horned demon holds.

"I don't see a reason to say no. What you all do down here is your business until it affects me. Keep the noise down, and the landlord won't have to come down here and crack skulls or evict you all. Right?"

"Well, they'll like that. There's a lot of us that hated the war that erupted on the surface, and if you keep your word they'll love not cringing every time you show your face down here."

Faith scoops up one more kitten and places it into the basket as she talks.

"Same here. That way, when one of you sees me and takes off running, I won't chase him down needlessly. Oh yah! You need to write down your laws you want to live under. If I don't know that its bad form to sneeze before we speak, how in the heck are we going to get anywhere? You all have some weird rules, and I can only enforce what I know. Are you up to the task for temporarily acting as my go to person until you all formalize all this? That's why I came here in the first place! I wanted to talk to one of the most influential demons down here, and I heard you were that demon."

He scratches one his numerous green thorny spikes protruding from his face and arms.

"Yah….that would be me. I'll see if they are interested in an accord like the Brussels one, and see how it rolls. Months have passed since that skirmish upstairs, so they might buy it being legit. Give me a few days to talk around the lairs, and I'll see what I can stir up. Meet me at the cat market in three days just after sunset, and I'll let you know how it's coming along. In the meantime, I'll put some feelers out for your skin-walker and see if it's hiding out down here."

After exchanging a handshake, they part and the demon finishes gathering the kittens and mulls over the turn of events.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**April 6, 2033**

**San Angeles (2:01pm)**

Sitting in the bull pen, Faith listens to a MDK report which occurred on the opposite side of town which she patrolled the previous night. The coroner believes it might have been a pack of rabid dogs, but Faith recognizes the claw and bite patterns were identical to the old Indian man's. She pulls out her hip computer and begins looking into the victim's background, hoping to find a clue why he was targeted. Mr. Jonathon Baxter, 74, once worked at the City's Planning and Design Department and has been retired for 3 years this coming May. Using the main computer, asks the system to correlate the attack on Mr. Soaring Duck…she double checked the Indian man's name twice, it found no records which said they ever crossed paths or offices. Mr. Duck was a recent resident to the city, brought here by his eldest son William. Even more interesting, his son had changed his name from Mallard, soon after he arrived to San Angeles. Shaking the comedy aside, Faith probes the son's background as an economist, and the computer also fails to find any connection above 21 percent. The higher the percentage, the more likely a connection and Faith vaguely used this as a gage, while other officer swore on it.

As she returns to patrolling the streets, a duty she actually found quite enjoyable, she would often spend her day conversing with all the shop owners of petty crime, unusual occurrences, and now the sudden lack of stray dogs and cats wandering the streets in her neighborhood. Though it was previously illegal to feed or care for strays, with the new city government brought relaxing of the enforcement of petty laws designed to enforce total control over the populace's daily lives. The city government was actually keeping up the policy of a police officer on every corner, though manning still wasn't where they wanted it. Faith had a dozen blocks she was accountable for; fortunately only one area was out of her district. She had specifically requested the high incident area near and around the cemetery, and to everyone's surprise, the violence and incident reports dramatically plummeted after the first month of her on the beat. Even she only reported the incidents which resulted in serious injury, which went from a dozen during her first week, to about once a month.

During her last parole meeting with Chief Earle, he said he was pushing through a Pardon Order for her and Officer Spartan for their previous crimes. Based on her age at the time and her performance during the past year, he believed it would be approved. Officer Spartan was also going to be pardoned, as the security system clearly recorded the criminal Simon Phoenix take full responsibility for the deaths which Officer Spartan was convicted of committing. The recording and his defense statements clearly prove his innocence, so it was just a formality of getting his conviction reversed. For Faith, it was a bit more complicated, but her youth, lack of proper upbringing, and now her performance in the department has warranted a careful reexamination of the facts. With Chief Earle and Mayor Friendly's recommendations in her package, it had a superb chance of being approved. With both their deputy contracts set to expire in 6 months, the city was hand carrying them to the capitol for review and approval.

Faith found the previous year still surrealistic. Not only had she been released from prison, she was with her true love, and found people who she believed were her enemies, become her trusted friends. Even more incredible was the job which her hours were set in stone, so she could patrol late at night and still hold down a well-paying day job. Her position allowed her to use the resources of the city, while carrying out her Slayer duties without conflict. She heard that once her order came back, she'd be up for a promotion of some sort, but the Chief left out any particulars. She'd heard through the grapevine that the Chief was assembling a special response team, and he was interviewing most of the senior students from her martial arts class. The sounds of that seemed to conflict with her slayer patrols, so she hoped he was eyeing her for that job.

With thoughts rampaging through her head, Faith notices her shift would end long before she could make it back to the station. Making it back to her car, she reports in, confirms she's under no duress making her report, and ends her shift in time to pick up a loaf of fresh bread to go with dinner. As she steps out of the elevator to her apartment, she immediately notices a faint pungent odor wafting through the hall. A mix between skunk, rotten meat, mace, urine, and vomit, the smell fortunately wasn't incredibly strong. As she opens her apartment door, the intensity suddenly doubles and she fights the initial gag reflex. After a minute, her body seems to adjust, and she stops gagging. Sitting naked in the bath tub, Kayla is submerged to the neck. Crying, she levels her red eyes on her lover and begins sobbing once again.

"This wasn't supposed to happen for another two months! Three to four weeks before I give birth, this happens, and I don't know why it started this early. I'm sorry Faith!"

Faith, speechless instinctively goes to Kayla's side and feels the full effect of the odor. Dipping her finger into the water, she brings it to her nose and nearly throws up as she takes a full sniff of her finger. Rushing to the sink, she spends 5 minutes washing it, but can't get it off of her.

Kayla sobs, and apologizes further.

"Sweetie, this is all screwed up. I asked Tara or Willow to care for me now. They won't smell it, and it won't stick on them. It will pass after Katya is born, but until then I'm powerless to stop it."

Flabbergasted, Faith can only nod and obey.

**April 6, 2033**

**San Angeles (9:35pm)**

After another lengthy examination, Lacey verifies her hunch. Faith, sitting nervously on the couch sipping at her coffee.

"Katya's head has moved down. She's got no more than 2 weeks and she's the right weight, length, and position for birth. Unfortunately Kayla is lagging in her Braxton Hicks, and this could be a concern."

Lacey notices the blank stare in Faith's eyes and shakes her head.

"Kayla's body should be practicing for having the baby by having mini contractions, basically. She's not, or hasn't been having enough. This baby is coming fast, and she's going to have a rough time during the birth."

Nodding Faith tries to visualize this, and is surprised that it is making sense to her on some deep level. As she dwells on the subject, she's further surprised to have the weekly calendar of fetal development suddenly pop into her head.

"So she's technically in the 33rd week of pregnancy and she's not having her tiny contractions?"

Lacey, prepared to explain the cycle in greater detail, suddenly stops and nods.

"Uh…yah! That's correct. And before you ask, there's nothing anyone can do about it.  
When she starts her labor, we'll need to rush her to the ER."

Nodding, Faith thanks her for the update and heads out for nightly routine. Meandering through the cemetery with her list of fresh burials, she crisscrosses the four divisions checking off every name on her list. With the city relatively vampire free, she decides to interrogate the latest victim/vampire as she struggles to free herself of the grave. The city was trying to push for tougher burial requirements, secretly trying to contain any undead in their grave, and would necessitate an excavation crew to actually open the steel reinforced concrete cradle the coffin sat in. Unfortunately, the costs of this technique would increase burial costs 20%, so it was hard to push through the city council. With boredom threatening to overcome her, she reaches down and pulls the vampire free of her earthen grave.

She comes out coughing and rubbing her hands. Caked with dirt and her once manicured nails stripped of their polish, the young woman grips the new headstone next to her grave. As she gets her bearings she prepares to attack Faith who laughs and steps back.

"Hey! Catch your breath! I'm not going anywhere."

Taken back she nods and sighs dramatically.

"Thanks. You're a cop, right?"

Faith checks her surroundings for any additional risers, and nods to the woman.

"Yah. I patrol this area. You're awfully young for a vampire. I mean I saw you only turned 19 two weeks ago."

The woman nods yes.

"I guess I'll be this young forever, but yes I think that shouldn't hurt my chances for survival."

Faith shrugs.

"You know, eternal life isn't all what it seems. I've been around since the 1990's, and I can't cope sometimes with the changes all around me."

Surprised, the woman tries to dust herself off, but the dirt and grime stains resist all attempts to be brushed aside and sneakily begins stepping subtly towards Faith.

Faith palms her wooden stake and looks towards the faraway wall as if something was grabbing her attention. When the woman tries to pounce on Faith, she meets the face of the headstone Faith was standing in front of and a boot on the back of her neck. Faith shakes her head.

"Could have told you it wouldn't work, but I figured you wouldn't listen. Do you remember who sired you? You know who made you a vampire?"

The woman desperately tries to throw faith off of her, but she lacks the strength having just risen.

"NO! He was a well-dressed guy who obviously was well off. He came up behind me and convinced me he could arrange for me to keep my youth forever, and I jumped at it."

"WHERE?"

Faith was losing her temper, and this guy was the cause of most of her late nights.

"Behind the Curley Q Club, off of Madison Street! He followed out, and stayed behind me in the shadows."

Before she can plead for her new life, Faith plunges the stake into her back, piercing her heart. The blast of dust into the air tells Faith the duty is done, and she meanders back to her rounds. She lingers near the Curley Q Club until 2 in the morning, until finally giving up on her patrol.

Getting an earful from Willow as she crashes onto the couch, she hears how horrible Kayla feels now that her body is "practicing" her contractions every hour. Worse, Tara will be up with her and she knows she'll get more of the news when she sees her. Lying down, her head hits the pillow and she makes two long blinks before passing out.

**April 8, 2033**

**San Angeles (7:45pm)**

Descending into the underworld of San Angeles just at sunset, Faith passes numerous corridors and lethal niches which untold death lurks just our out of her sight. From a cave worm who sat coiled in the walls to a troll who stayed perpetually drunk, Faith kept on her path to the crowded Cat Market. As the name implies, the primary commodity sold were cats of varying ages, sizes and quantities. Imagining this is what the original purpose of the place was, it was apparent that it changed over time to encompass everything from shoes, clothes, slaves, and your occasional demon was available for purchase. Passing several beer and grilled cat stands, Faith begins walking the market checking out everyone's wares. Due to her interest, eyes leveled on her suspiciously for being either the slayer or a cop. Fearful that she was the slayer, kept most from approaching her or objecting to her presence. After the first 20 minutes, several shops closed up only increasing the tension. Finally as she begins to tire of the stares and apprehension, her contact finally arrives.

"They're scared shitless that you're going to start shaking things up around here."

Faith merely nods in agreement and motions towards the Doro Demon, a hairy single-horned monstrosity who wasn't taking his eyes off of her.

"This guy is looking at me as if he wants to start something, and several of your people just closed up and left."

Shaking his head, her contact motions towards the demon who unceremoniously drops his eyes.

"That's his way of showing respect towards an equal. He'd growl at you or spit in front of your path if he didn't think you were worthy of his respect. He can sense your strength and experience, and knows you're here because you earned the right to walk here. You're the one who fought that true demon last year, right?"

Faith nods subtly.

"Is it that obvious? All my scars and bruises healed ages ago."

The demon beside her merely laughs.

"The Doro smell your strength and wisdom; I wish I had that ability! That's why they never get invited to my poker game. They know when to hold them or fold them against an opponent. Bluffing is fairly pointless around them. They know whether you're clever enough to pull off a bluff, and if you're a shark. No fun at all. I know you're not here to discuss the finer points of demon society, so let me get right to it. They are interested in your proposal. No, they would LOVE to erect a formal end to hostilities between us and humans. The last war hurt the majority of their businesses and a serious truce would be agreeable. What are your thoughts that I can take back to them."

Comfortable with his directness, Faith takes out a notebook which Kayla and Willow had worked on until her contractions became unbearable. She hands it to the demon who is legitimately surprised.

"What do they call you?"

Opening up the book, and thumbing through the lengthy bullet points, he barely hears Faith and fumbles out his name.

"Gomik…Hurlbet Gomik. You can call me Hurl. Well I see you've given this a lot of thought."

Faith nods.

"I found someone who was at the original signing back when and I found an expert who will be sitting in on this signing as well."

The demon stops abruptly and turns white.

"Huh…who could that be?"

Faith shakes her head.

"I'm not at liberty to say until she actually arrives. Until then, she's the human representative to this accord, to discourage any foul play by either party."

Faith notices a crowd of demons have stopped and crowded around them to listen in on their private conversation. Following Kayla's suggestions, she raises her voice so everyone can hear her.

"I have made it clear I want peace and law in this town, and that includes everyone down here. If trouble crawls into town, it tends to rear its ugly head here first, and I can deal with it better down here, before it gets everyone all pissed off upstairs. Once the humans up there catch wind of your operations, you know things will get bad down here. Everyone's lives will be disrupted, and all your businesses will be screwed up. I want our hostilities minimized, your businesses regulated by you ruling government, and a police force to ensure these laws are followed. Your people, enforcing your laws will have a better chance than having me coming around and cracking skulls whenever I see fit."

The roar of applause and growls, gives Faith the impression it went over as they planned it out. As the crowd gets riled up, Hurl crosses his arms and smiles. He knew most demons were ready for an official peace, but he never imagined Faith getting his kind to openly welcome it. Nodding in appreciation, he draws Faith from the crowd and bows to her.

"Well played my distinguished counterpart. You have just won your first hurtle race by rallying the business sector. Now, you must win the support of the elders…that will not be as easy. It might take a bit longer to get them to sit down with you."

Faith can only nod.

"When my person gets here, I'll bring her here to begin talking to your elders. In the meantime, start swaying their vote. The majority of your people will now want a representative government, so you're going to have your hands full. Thank you Hurl. I really think law and order is the best for everyone down here."

He mulls it over and agrees.

"I too believe that. Let's keep the communication lines open."

Planning for the possibility, Faith had planned for this possibility, and hands him a cell phone.

"That's to call me. If you find any trouble that you can't handle comes into town, don't hesitate to ask for help."

Genuinely surprised, he takes it and smiles.

"Superb. And I still haven't got a bead on your skin-walker. It's been seen only twice, and no one could tell me where it was hiding down here. I'll continue searching. Oh! And what about the smell in district…"

Faith stops him before he can finish.

"I know what you mean! I'm told it should dissipate soon, but I don't have anything specific."

Concerned he nods with some understanding.

"We had to evacuate that entire area. Well, as long as you're aware of it. Good evening slayer."

He bows dramatically before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

Faith arrives at the apartment after her patrol to find a note waiting for her. As she reads Tara's frantic scribbling, her phone rings. Willow, abnormally stressed, yells at Faith to hurry to the hospital with the wedding rings.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**April 8, 2033**

**San Angeles (9:56pm)**

Bursting through the doors of the hospital, it takes Faith an eternity to find the maternity ward. After turning left when she should have gone right, she finds Willow waiting nervously in the lounge area alongside a soon-to-be father who seems as worried as greying redhead. Jumping out of her seat, she wants to scold Faith but restrains herself long enough to get Faith within earshot.

"Please tell me you got my note."

Nodding, Faith scoops into her jacket pocket and produces a small black box. Opening up the spring-loaded hinged lid, it screams contemporary fashion as meager gold loops. With a heavy sigh, Willow relaxes and guides her into the prep area for Faith to change into ORs. After they are changed, a nurse comes and escorts them into a room with Kayla on a bed and three people standing around her in similar attire.

Rushing to the platinum blonde's side, Faith reaches out and grasps Kayla's shaking hand. Tired and fighting the pain of contractions, she releases a meager smile and immediately cringes from a strong pulse of pain.

The man seated at the door, stands as Faith passes and comes to the side which Faith takes and clears his throat.

"Let's begin, shall we? I think our young bride will be a mother sooner than we think."

A nurse standing on the opposite side, nods her head as she counts the interval between contractions and a strategically placed optical sensor under the blankets.

Nervously, Faith holds Kayla's hand as she puts the box with the rings into Tara's outstretched hands. Faith doesn't register the words the minister recites, or the cues to take the rings from Tara. For her, every second is remembered by the vice-like grip Kayla keeps, and the painful torque she applies. Starting at a mere minute apart, it slowly decreases to every 20 seconds by the time she's asked to give her vows. Having practiced them religiously for the past week, she surprises everyone when she delivers them flawlessly. Kayla, numb to the spectacular event, finds the strength to recite hers, pausing only during the contractions. After a few second of putting on the rings, the minister recognizes the bride's worsening state. With a proud nod, the minster asks the fateful question for each of them, and both Faith and Kayla manage agree to wed and kiss before the nurses push everyone but Faith out of the room as Katya decides the moment to be born.

Sitting in the waiting area, Willow and Tara hold hands as the bustle of nurses come in and out of the delivery room. Tara leans over to kiss Willow, only to catch a glimpse of a person hiding in the shadows. Ducking out of sight as Tara tries to identify them, only gets her more curious. Whispering she'll be right back, she quickly goes towards the bathroom, but turns away out of site of the stranger. Slipping off her loud pumps, she rushes towards the corner to listen. Talking quietly on a cell phone, Dr. Jeffery clearly is unaware of Tara and speaks freely.

"Yah, she made it here on time. I don't know! There is nothing I can legally do now. She is not going to be born a bastard child, and she's protected by the law. NO! I had no idea that she was going to be born this early! The tests show she's fully developed, so we can't keep her here overnight. I'll talk to the resident doctor to require us to keep her overnight in our care, but no promises. Fine."

As she steps around the corner, Tara plants a fist into the doctor's face, knocking her out cold. As the doctor crumples onto the floor, Tara looks left and right, and sees no onlookers. Holding her fist in pain, she peeks around the corner to where Willow sits and calmly calls out.

"Willow sweetie? Would you be a doll and come here quickly and give me a hand?"

Faith lies back in the recliner holding baby Katya as Kayla is taken to the operating room to stop up the numerous sources of bleeding which are life-threatening. In an hour, she is wheeled out and the new family is resting in a private recovery room. By 3 o'clock in the morning, Kayla finally gets to hold her baby as Faith looks over them proudly. Kayla, exhausted, constantly beams a smile with tears falling sporadically. With a light covering of red hair on her head, Katya rests in Kayla's arm. Comfortable and content, she gives the impression that all is right in the world for a short while. It's only now that Faith realizes the horrendous odor, which had plagued them for the past week, was finally gone. After spending a couple of hours chatting and enjoying the comfortable closeness between them, Faith excuses herself and departs to file the paperwork for her next 3 weeks of leave.

As she waits for the security guard to sign her out of the hospital, slowed by the computer system, Faith detects an unusual odor crossing her path as she stands at the security counter. She turns to see the back of a man in a doctor's coat walking calmly towards the elevators. A deep sense of danger mixed with a putrid scent seems to arouse her curiosity and she leaves the station in pursuit. Palming her badge out of her pocket, she rushes to catch up only for the elevator doors to slam shut as she reaches them. Cursing under her breath, she hits the stairs and pulls out her computer. Verbally accessing hospital security system, she sees the 6th floor is selected and orders the elevator to stop at the 3rd floor. Ten seconds later, she stands at the door and orders it open. An average sized man, with no distinctive features stands angrily in the elevator. Faith, lacking any weapons, instinctually puts her hand out to calm him. Ordering to stand still, has no effect as he strides out towards Faith.

"HEY! I said stop!"

He casually glances left and right as he closes with Faith. Faith knew it was still an hour before shift change, so most of the halls were going to be devoid of staff or anyone. Not much taller than her, his body language was far too calm and rigid reminding her of a walking wall. When we swung at her, her reflexes had her duck and plant a kick to the inside of his leg to bring him down to one knee. As planned he went down but he only used his planted knee as a pivot point and swept her legs out from her. Instinctual fear took over and she defensively rolled several times to get some space between him and her. As she gets to her feet, he's right on top of her and slaps her arms and chest with the backside of his hand. Angered, she starts to swing but notices blood dripping to the floor from her clothes.

Looking down, she sees dozens of open wounds pouring out blood like a picturesque stream. Stumbling backwards, she manages to parry and dodge his next dozen attacks and plants a roundhouse across his head, sending him spiraling backwards. Feeling the life draining away, she hears Kayla screaming in the back of her mind to either escape or end the fight. As he tries to stand, Faith knows she can't win, but recognizes she dealt him a serious blow that had shaken his confidence to the core. With anger swelling in her heart, she decides to deliver a powerful series of offensive blows and force him to retreat. With a loud roar she swings and misses as he stands; and for the first time in possibly centuries it finds itself on the defense. Dodging, parrying, and every one of Faith's powerful blows, he begins backing towards the stairs. Finally, with her strength failing Faith lands a full strength punch into his solar plexus sending him tumbling backwards into the stairwell, and down the flight of stairs. Faith remembers the sound of cracking bones as her fist penetrated two inches into his chest, and she stumbles down the stairs as the man turns around to glare at his pursuer. A ghastly face stares back at her, and she ends her chase as he bolts out the doors of the hospital. Calling his grotesque appearance ugly or demonic, wouldn't accurately describe the horridness. Collapsing onto the floor, she creates a huge wet splat sound as she loses consciousness.

Faith wakes to a figure glaring intently at her fluttering eyes. As she focuses, the fuzzy outline of her wife sitting in a hospital gown holding a baby finally becomes a crisp image. As she tries to lift her head up, pain surges through her chest and arms. Kayla shakes her head in disbelief.

"Even I wouldn't have tried that. So was it our skin-walker?"

Faith gently shakes her head.

"Yah. He had this odor, not as bad as yours of course. He was fast, and I never once saw a weapon. Whatever he touched was cut by only his fingers gliding over you. I have no idea how I'm going to deal with him next time…other than to not let him touch me."

Nodding Kayla repositions Katya into her gown and lets her latch to feed.

"They had to staple your wounds closed, even your slayer healing wasn't enough. This guy leaves wounds which resist healing. It's a miracle that the old man survived; he's just two rooms down from you. You might have some scars from this battle. They gave you 4 pints of blood while they were working on you, and you better stay off your feet for a couple of days. I wouldn't move those bandages either. If you were a regular human and I'd be a widow right now. They thought you were anemic or something, but after they cleaned the wounds, they were able to get the blood to clot normally. This thing is a bonafide killer, no doubt there. Oh! Tara is checking me out this evening to stay with her. She feels the vibes aren't good here, and she wants me to feel safe. Oh, and it's in my file I don't like hospitals, so they can't say no."

She smiles cutely and adjusts Katya underneath her gown. Faith nods, and spends the afternoon resting. Kayla spends every minute in the hospital in Faith's room, until Tara signs her out just past six that night. As Kayla nestles down for the night she cuddles Katya and notices Tara's bruised hand as she passes. After asking how she did hurt herself, Tara shrugs.

"Oh this? No idea."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**April 10, 2033**

**San Angeles (2:05pm) **

Faith was surprised that they released her after all the work and attention they accomplished on her the morning prior. When they went in to check on her incisions, they were beyond stunned that there were no signs of any injuries or scars. Imbedded in the dead scab material, stuck to the bandages, was every staple they used to close her up. After an hour of doctors and surgeons coming by and examining the wounds, they finally agreed to send her home without pain medications or an in-home nurse to visit. Feeling a little stiff from the wounds, she imagines taking it a little easy this week, was on the top of her agenda. Willow snuck away from Kayla just long enough to pick up Faith, and explained the baby's extensive schedule of feedings and naps. Faith expertly hid her elation for playing the toddler's parent, fearing that most people would give her too much attention for momentary call to motherhood.

Faith had no training or experience in this avenue; she couldn't very well use her slayers skills or Kayla's extensive combat training to solve any dilemmas the baby presented. She had mentally put off the planning stages of this motherhood, choosing to wing it versus plan anything out. As they pull into the parking lot of her apartment, Faith's heart races as they get closer. Every step towards her apartment compounded the anxiety welling in her chest. Stepping through doorway, she's immediately taken back by cleanliness of their apartment. It's not like Kayla let the house get dirty or untidy, but the degree to which it seemed clean amazed her. The unspecific nature of the cleanliness amazed her. Tara, sitting on the couch smiles warmly seeing the pair enter. She motions to stay quiet, and speaks in a light whisper.

"They just fell asleep. Here's a schedule they've been following today. Every day it changes a little bit, but it's been fairly consistent. Kayla has her normal appetite, but Katya is quite demanding. Kayla has only been able to pump twice, but she hopes that Katya will be satiated better in the next few weeks. If you have any questions or need help don't hesitate to call."

She hugs Faith as she leaves, whispers 'congratulations,' and takes Willow's hand as they walk out the door.

Faith jumps into the shower as the pair sleep in her bed. Washing away the antiseptic and the clumps of peeling scar tissue, the soreness reminds her of her wounds and how close to death she came. Exiting, she dons a sports bra with matching shorts and slides into bed to watch her two girls sleep. Letting time drift into obscurity, she lays quietly absorbing every moment, sound, and smell. She could never imagine a "newborn" smell, but here she was soaking up every aspect. At that moment she imagined that so few slayers ever have this moment in their lives, and realized she was truly lucky. Kayla would tell her that she was blessed, but that would imply she had some religious bone in her body. Her proximity to the materialistic world didn't allow her to equate a belief in the divine. Kayla scolded her too often for disbelieving in a divine creator and it was something Faith couldn't readily accept.

Faith kept finding herself drawn into theological discussions around Kayla. Even when confronted with the good/evil dilemma, Faith couldn't admit that there was a powerful force of good, when it was apparent that there were powerful singular forces of evil. Kayla had heard someone say that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing man he didn't exist. This meant if people didn't believe he existed, they were far less likely to believe that God exists. She didn't want to dwell on the issue for only one reason alone. It meant she would have to confront her crimes in the future once again, and that fear kept her from siding with Kayla. Kayla tried to comfort her, but this thought burned at her soul.

As Faith dwells on her past, Katya begins to stir and searches out for Kayla. Faith gently unbuttons the covering on her left breast and positions Kayla so she could feed. As Faith rubs Katya's back, Kayla's eyes flutter open and smiles warmly at Faith.

"How long have you been here?"

Faith can't contain her content and inner joy radiating from her eyes.

"Long enough. It seems my slayer healing kicked in. Thanks to their surgical work, it just finished up the rest. I'm still sore though. I'll take it easy for a few days, promise."

Kayla smiles, punches Faith's shoulder with her finger and Faith grimaces. Though she didn't hit any of the areas where faith had been wounded, Kayla's strength was equal if not greater than hers.

"I'll remember you said that when you go out patrolling. Speaking of patrolling, in a couple of weeks Katya should be okay taking the bottle, and maybe we can do some patrolling together."

Faith, genuinely surprised, smiles at the prospect.

"Two of us walking the streets? What will evil do? They'll go nuts out there! Might even leave town. Kind of like that idea."

Kayla reaches out and rubs Faith's arm.

"And that's why I love you."

As Katya gets her fill, she drifts back into a nap and Kayla lays her in Faith's arms to sleep. The momentary panic then bliss washes across Faith visage, and Kayla fights from laughing. Faith carries her into the living room and she sits on the couch as the newborn sleeps in her arms. Kayla gets her shower done, and sits down next to Faith, who sits with an unusual expression of fear, happiness and bliss all in one holding Katya.

Faith perks up seeing Kayla, remembering a short conversation from before she left the hospital.

"Oh! Chief Earle extended his personal congratulations on our little girl's birth, and Leona wound up doing the leave paperwork for me. So now I have a week off for recovery and three weeks of paid post birth leave. Basically I only need to worry about you two for the next month."

Kayla smiles and seems to record the thought.

"I'll add them to my thank you list. Did you know some weird stuff went down that night of Katya's birth? Aside from our hasty marriage, Katya's early and fully developed birth, and your fight with the Skin-Walker, that Doctor Jeffery was attacked and knocked unconscious. Whoever did it tossed her in the dirty clothes bin and locked her in the utility room. Maintenance found her later the next morning when the staff couldn't get in. They had to cut the lock off to get her out, and it took them all afternoon to do it. She says she never saw who did it, and they just smashed her phone and took her keys. They found them in her office. Weird huh?"

Faith nods, not knowing how to rationalize or explain the event. Kayla continues after a long pause.

"Did you ever figure out why it was in the hospital? The Skin-Walker. Did he give you any clues?"

Faith shakes her head. "Nah. It was on its way to the sixth floor, and I stopped him on the third."

Kayla nods, and her eyes brightens as she remembers her visit to Faith's room.

"OH! You were on the sixth floor."

Faith looks at her in surprise.

"Really? I honestly don't remember."

Kayla thinks hard and nods.

"You were only a couple of rooms down from the old man…I bet he was there about the same time your Skin-Walker was going into the hospital!"

Standing, Faith carries Katya around the room with her as she scoops up her police phone and ties it with the Fiber-Op system in their apartment. In minutes, Officer Leona Huxley fills the view screen listening to Faith's story and theory after spending the first minute admiring Katya in Faith's arms. Leona nods in agreement, seeing the possible connection and the attacker's probable destination. Saying she and Officer Spartan will take over the case while she recovers and returns to duty, she also accepts Kayla's advice to brief medical staff that the wounds from the killer must be thoroughly cleaned in order to get them to heal right.

With the rush of emotion and exhilaration fading, Faith bids them good day and ends the call. As the pair settle down on the couch, Katya reawakens and they enter into a routine of care and attention for the three of them. With Faith's improved cooking skills, they have little worry of starvation or food poisoning.

Faith awakens to the incessant ringing of a cell phone parked on her dresser. The silver and black model who's mate was given to the half-demon Gomik, screams for attention and wakens Faith at just an hour past 4 in the morning. Jumping up, she immediately silences it and takes the phone to the other room to answer. Twenty minutes later, she is striding into the Cat Market and sees three huge bruisers waiting for her. Not long ago, if they had given her that stare, it would have resulted in a bashing of heads against tables. They nod at her, and lead her silently to an elaborately constructed building, which once served as a bank before the big one. Almost immediately Faith recognizes the distinctive reworking and construction of reinforced walls and bars. Gomik stands from his desk off the side of the main entrance, and greets Faith with a strangely warm smile.

"Slayer! It's a pleasure to see you! Come in!"

After exchanging handshakes, he proudly presents his new central office for her review. Faith can't contain her awe.

"Damn Gomik! I'm impressed! You all did this? This is fucking fantastic!"

Nodding in appreciation he subtly motions for the bruisers who escorted her in, to line up alongside a dozen other demons. Ranging in size from Kayla's height to almost eight feet tall, the demons seem to take pride in their numbers and jobs. Gomik points out a silver amulet each of them display on their chests.

"I had a silver smith design and make four dozen of these badges. We only have the first fifteen done, but they are wearing them pretty well. I handpicked these guys. I had to be certain they would be open for the job, and not abuse their authority. Crime amongst us has dropped considerably. Theft is down seriously, as are violent crimes…violent for us demons at least."

A low chuckle roars through the ranks and Faith sees the humor as well. Faith contains her laughter so she can reply.

"You've exceeded what I thought you could accomplish in so short of time, Gomik. This is truly awesome work, I'm proud of you and your people. It took weeks for them to pull their heads out of their asses upstairs. You did it, and more. This is cool!"

Gomik smiles and dismisses the line of demons and motions for Faith to follow him further into the jail.

"This isn't the real reason I called you. Well, yah, I wanted to brag and show off a bit, but I have a guy in lock up who ran into your Skin-Walker."

Confused, Faith looks at him.

"You locked him up?"

Nodding, Gomik explains.

"I locked him up for his own safety. He and the SW got into a financial disagreement, and the SW nearly killed him after her healed him up. I'm working on getting a true-sight spell erected on the entrance, so it will show him for who he truly is, incase he tries to come in here. Fortunately, he was immune to the SW's anti-coagulation magic, but he still got cut up really bad. He said he had to deliver a message to you from him. I told him if it was some sorry-ass scare warning, I finish what the SW started, and he assured me it wasn't. He's a Triblon. Fantastic healers and nullifiers of curses, but their touch can also suck the life from a victim, so I suggest talking to him from a distance."

Nodding Faith, gets about ten feet from the steel bars of the cell and waits. She is surprised that he doesn't look worse. With blood-soaked rags covering him, he rouses when Gomik kicks the bars.

"Slayer? Yes, of course it is. The Skin-Walker tricked me into healing him through false payment, and for that he is cursed by all my people. We are the only ones who can heal him fast, no other has that ability aside from magic spells. You hurt him critically…he was near death. I know I have to tell you that, as he violated my trust and the trust of my people. HE wanted me tell you that the next time you fight him, it will be personal…he has added you to his list, whatever that means."

Gomik steers Faith away and whispers his personal insights.

"The Skin-Walkers are contract killers. They don't kill for pleasure or to feed. The only reason this guy is stalking humans, is because he's been paid to by his people. You find out why they want those people dead, you'll be on the fast track to stopping your problems upstairs."

With little fanfare, she thanks Gomik and meanders back to her apartment to make breakfast.


End file.
